Review of

Signals & Systems

Dr. Ali Muqaibel
ver 2.4

• Class Objectives:
• Size of a signal: Energy , Power, Root Mean Squared.
• Signal Classifications
• Signal Operations
• Important Functions: Dirac Delta Function & Sifting Property,
Step Function

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Size of a signal
• How do we measure signal size?
• Amplitude, Area,…… energy and power
Comments:
• Signal Energy: • To find the power, the
signal has to be periodic
complex value! •
or has statistical regularity
Power & energy depends
• Signal Power: average power or time average of energy on the load. It can be
interpreted as energy or
power dissipated in a
normalized load 1-ohm
resister.
→ • Units of energy (Joule)
• is the mean squared and power (Watt) does
not fit (dimensionally
wrong). If used then a 1
• Root mean squared (rms)=   ohm resister is assumed

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Examples: Power & Energy

Determine the suitable measure and evaluate it

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Additional Examples
Power add up for sinusoidal of different frequencies but
not true for other signals in general .
𝑔 𝑡 = 𝐶 cos 𝜔 𝑡 + 𝜃 + 𝐶 cos 𝜔 𝑡 + 𝜃
𝑃 = + , 𝜔 ≠𝜔
Example 2.2a,
For a sinusoidal signal with amplitude 𝐶, 𝑃 = , rms=  
• For a DC value =𝐶 , 𝑃 = 𝐶 and rms =𝐶
→

•
→

•
→ →
• Second term is zero because we are integrating over two periods
• rms=  

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Classification of Signals
• Analog vs. Digital signals
• Continuous-time vs. discrete-time signals
• Periodic vs. aperiodic signals
• periodic signal with period 0 satisfies:
0 for all integer values of
• Deterministic vs. probabilistic (Random) signals
• Deterministic signals are those that can be computed
(mathematically or graphically) beforehand at any instant of time.
• Probabilistic signal is one that is random and cannot be
determined beforehand.
• Energy vs. Power signals: as described next.

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Power vs. Energy Signals
• Energy Signals
• An energy signal is a signal with finite energy and zero average power
.
• Power Signals
• A power signal is a signal with infinite energy but finite average power

• A signal cannot be both power & energy signal (but it can be neither, e.g. )
• Periodic signals are usually power signals.
• Not all non–periodic signals are energy signals… e.g. ramp.
• Any signal that has limited amplitude ( ) and is time
limited ( 0 for some 0 ) is an energy signal.
• Every real life signal is an energy signal but we approximate.
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 Example
• Determine if the following signal is Energy signals, Power signals, or
neither, and evaluate and (See more examples in the book)

  1 1
1
Pa   | a (t ) |2 dt   | 3sin(2 t ) |2 dt
• So, the energy of that
Ea   | a(t ) | dt   | 3sin(2 t ) |
2 2
dt 10 signal is infinite and its
0
  1
1 average power is finite

1  9 1  cos(4 t )dt (9/2). This means that it
9 1  cos(4 t )dt 0
2
is a power signal as

2 0
1
1
 9  dt  9 cos(4 t )dt expected.
  2
1 • Notice that the average
 9  dt  9  cos(4 t )dt
0 0

2 9  9 
1
power of this signal is as
     sin(4 t ) 
2  4 0 expected (square of the
 J amplitude divided by 2)
9
 W
2

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Useful Signal Operations
• Time shifting , 𝑓(𝑡) ← 𝑓(𝑡 − 𝑇)
• 𝑇 > 0, shift right
• 𝑇 < 0, shift left
• Time Scaling & Inversion, 𝑓(𝑡) ← 𝑓(𝑎𝑡)
• if |𝑎| > 1 compression.
• if |𝑎| < 1 expansion.
• 𝑎 < 0 time reversal (time-inversion).
• We could have inversion with expansion or inversion with
compression at the same time.
• Magnitude Shifting 𝑓 𝑡 ← 𝑐 + 𝑓(𝑡)
• 𝑐 > 0 , shift up.
• 𝑐 < 0, shift down
• Magnitude Scaling and Magnitude Inversion, 𝑓 𝑡 ← 𝑏𝑓(𝑡)
• |𝑏| < 1, attenuation
• |𝑏| > 1, amplification
• 𝑏 < 0, also amplitude inversion

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Example: Combined Operations
• Given the signal shown below,
sketch the signal
` 𝑓(– 2𝑡 − 6)
` +2

• 𝑓 𝑡 → 𝑓(𝑡 )
−5 `
` `
• ` −2.5
−2
−1

`
• +7
4 − 3𝑓(– 2𝑡 − 6)
+4

𝑡’ −2 −1 4
𝑡 −2 −2.5 −5
−2

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Exercise: Reversed Operations 𝑓 𝑡 → 𝑓(𝑡 )

• Given , sketch

𝑡 −3
𝑡=
4
2
𝑡 0 2
𝑡 −3/4 −1/4

-3/4 -1/4

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Unit Impulse Function (Dirac delta function)
• The unit impulse function  satisfies the following conditions:
•  , (therefore it is non-zero only at ).
• area always 1

• Properties of the Unit Impulse Function:

• Multiplication of a function by the unit impulse response:

• Sampling property (sifting property)

e.g.
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 Unit Step Function
• Obtaining the unit step function from the unit impulse function

• Causal Signals, does not change when multiplied by …e.g.

• What is a causal system?

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